The Conspiracies are TRUE! | 2025 Sanzen "Bad Batch"

It's been confirmed, the mysterious "bad batch" of Sanzen paper is not just a rumour! Unfortunately, many seem to have been affected. Today, I am telling you everything I know so far about this "bad batch", and some TRP alternatives if you want to avoid it all together 🤍
Disclaimer: Today's video is SUPER chatty!
Stay cozy, and happy planning 🐻
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[@lillabjornco]

QOTD: I also wanted to mention that the 2025 Hobonichi TRP is only 47gsm rather than 52!! How do you feel about that?

[@VeganOrganizer]

I had heard a rumour about this and was really puzzled. Seems odd that Hobonichi hasn't mentioned the change! Usually they're very good about updating people.

[@lillabjornco]

@@VeganOrganizer I didn't believe it at first, but if you look on JetPens, in the description it's listed at 47! Maybe Hobonichi wants to keep it under wraps? 🤔

[@tortagialla]

@@VeganOrganizer I think hobonichi didn't want to make a big deal about it probably because their tomoe river paper has always been specific to their planners (white versus cream too) because such a large company I suspect would have a different relationship with the paper makers - my thought anyway - haha!

[@jaquelinemythril2602]

They actually have an interview up that talks about the 47 gsm paper for Hobonichi. It said that the way the OG TRP paper sunk into itself made for a thinner 52 gsm, so they were asked to make it 47 gsm to match the thinness of the OG ppr

[@lillabjornco]

@@tortagialla That's totally possible! Have you yourself noticed a difference?

[@strange144]

Have you seen that Hobonichi started a survey about the paper used in the 5 year Hobonichi? They require people to upload photos of the bleedthrough so hopefully they're gonna press the manufacturer of the paper on this.

[@lillabjornco]

Omg I did not see that!! I’m so glad they’re doing something 🥳 Is it just for the 5-year that they’re doing inspections?

[@VeganOrganizer]

​@@lillabjorncoThat's fantastic! My A5 five-year techo sample page has had SHOCKING bleedthrough. Do you know where the link to the survey is?

[@strange144]

@@lillabjornco Yes but they said it's because "some bleedthrough is to be expected" but because the Hobonichi 5 Year is to be used 5 years, they're gonna inspect it. Didn't make too much sense to me - either the bleedthrough is unacceptable or it isn't. But at least they're doing something!

[@lillabjornco]

@@strange144 Dang, so I guess it's only worth looking into it if the issue spans more than one year. One year is still such a long time to put up with bad paper though 😪😪 Sorry, I hope I don't sound too complain-y haha 🤣🤣

[@rk27125]

Isn’t it 2024 survey, which was for 2025 techo?

[@doloresofcourse]

I don't use this, but I'm pulling up a chair for the breakdown.

[@lillabjornco]

This comment has me cackling 🤣🤣💕

[@truthisfree]

This was a great video explaining everything. I think if they are going to use cheaper paper then the prices should come down too on these planners. The manufacturer should not be able to charge as much as tomoe

[@lillabjornco]

I am so glad you enjoyed! 💖I completely agree, the price jump for a worse quality paper is no good 😔😔

[@lillabjornco]

Here is the list of trp alternatives from the video: Kokuyo THIN --- Jibun Techo DAYs & First Kit Kokuyo MIO --- Jibun Techo Biz Cosmo Air Light --- PaperTess Designs B5 Rhodia --- Rhodia Notebooks Clairefontaine --- Clairefontaine Notebooks Tsubame --- Tsubame Notebooks Maruman Mnemosyne & Maruman Smooth --- Maruman Notebooks Marshmallow CoC --- Creffective Planners Bachuan --- Dated Kinbor Weeks, A6, & A5 *DISCLAIMER: A couple of commenters have mentioned that Bachuan is the Chinese translation of Tomoe River Paper. Although no one is reporting issues, be advised!*

[@mollymollie6048]

Rhodia is probably my all time favorite paper, and it works wonderfully with fountain pens, gel pens, markers, etc. I believe Clairefontaine owns the Rhodia brand and is the producer of the paper. As far as other paper from Japanese manufacturers, I have a soft ring Kokuyo Campus and soft ring Kokuyo Soofa notebook, and both handle pens really well, and they are using Kokuyo Standard Campus Paper. I had heard that there may be problems with the Midori Hibino as well? I’m not sure, but it is absolutely lovely to hold and feel (I didn’t buy it so wasn’t able to do pen tests.)

[@lillabjornco]

@@mollymollie6048 Do you have any experience with the Rhodia Web notebooks? I was looking at the A6 pocket size as a potential bullet journal 🤔

[@mollymollie6048]

@@lillabjornco I don’t have the Web Notebook from Rhodia, I have a ton of their notepads, both large and small that all use the regular Rhodia white paper with blue grid lines (They do make lined and dot grid, but I’m not sure if they do in every style.) I have the Rhodia goalbook which has cream (like you use the darkest MD cream correction tape with it) paper that is 90gsm Clairefontaine vs “regular” Rhodia notebooks that use “80 gsm superfine coated vellum.” Strangely, the lighter GSM notebook’s paper feels thicker (probably because of the coating.) The goalbook I have appears to be the same paper and cover. My paper test section showed no bleed through except with a Sharpie permanent pen (duh) and mild (much less than TRP) ghosting. Notably, Mildliners didn’t smear much of anything…definitely not Energels (I know we both like those.) It doesn’t dent as much. No issues with fountain pens (although I like F (Japanese) and EF (German) nibs and it’s all I have.) The cover is nice, the paper quality is Rhodia good, but it is cream if that bothers you. As far as structure, mine lays flat (A5) has a nice elastic holding the cover together, a pen loop you can use, and a sturdy cover that doesn’t need a cover on top of it (unless you wanted it to be pristine.) So, I would definitely highly recommend it in terms of paper quality with pens and just overall structural quality. (I think they have a planner, also…if you check their site.) I have bought a variety of notepads from them for many years and have never had a quality issue with any of their products. Fountain pens absolutely glide on it…ahhhhhh. All the pens glide so nicely (and it doesn’t take forever to dry, doesn’t feather, etc.)

[@lillabjornco]

@@mollymollie6048 Wowww! First of all, I am honoured you remembered I'm an energel fan 🤣💞 I am totally team cream, so I see that as a win! I had a Rhodia lined notebook years back and I remember liking it, but haven't purchased one since for some reason lol! I think it's time I try them out again ☺ Thank you so much!!

[@mollymollie6048]

@@lillabjornco You’re very welcome!! I just made sure to add that it is definitely cream because some people want white (especially for a Bujo.) I say go for it! They come in so many pretty colors, too! Mine is a sunny, warm yellow. Definitely show it in a video if you get it to see if you like it or not. Fortunately, they aren’t outrageously expensive. Oh, my goalbook is dot grid and I think the web notebook also comes in dot grid. Lol, I think my ears perk up whenever I hear someone say Energel…they are my favorite and it seems like so many people just get the Sarasa and don’t even try the Energel. Both are excellent, but I like the Energel over the Sarasa ink, and I like the Energel’s thicker diameter for holding and writing for a long time. I know some people make “Frankenpens” with Energel ink in Sarasa body’s or vice versa depending on what they prefer! And, I love my needle tip and I rarely see a Sarasa with a needle tip (maybe because I haven’t looked, but on the ones I do have, I looked and it was conical only.)

[@prettyandsadiddy]

I feel like the continued talk of/comparison to Tomoegawa TRP is ironically distracting from the valid complaints about these 2025 Sanzen TRP products coming out. Pretty much every attempt to downplay the paper issues is some version of "you can't expect Sanzen paper to perform like old Tomoegawa paper, those days are gone"...but this year's Sanzen paper isn't even holding up to other Sanzen! And the performance is so all over the place - there's good paper mixed in with so-so paper mixed in with borderline unusable paper. There's simply no reasonable excuse for this level of unpredictability IMO. I actually got very lucky with the planners I ordered for next year but this whole situation already has me trying to figure out what I'm going to do for 2026, because anything with Sanzen TRP in it will feel like a gamble.

[@lillabjornco]

This has to be one of my favourite comments because YES! The whole reason why I'm struggling is because my 2025 Sanzen is bleeding awfully compared to my 2024 Sanzen (both Sanzen!!). I understand that changing manufacturers meant kissing the Tomoegawa paper goodbye, but there is no reason why the 2025 Sanzen paper should be this awful compared to last year's. Ugh 😆😆

[@deniseplasse5126]

@@prettyandsadiddy im right there with you, I was thrilled with my Sanzen replacement last year with Hobonichi, I was even regretting stocking up on the OG TR notebooks because I was so in love with the NEW Sanzen for the 2024 launches…. Not a single page in my 2024 Hobonichi has given me issues at all. And the FIRST page I try from the 2025 release of Sanzen TR paper products is even worse than the $2 packs of mead notebook leaf paper. (of course if anyone is following this thread along, you know I bought Sterling Ink this year rather than Hobo but it shouldnt matter)

[@lillabjornco]

Totally agree! Thanks for sharing! 🥰

[@inkythinky]

Thank you for the comparison! I am a little afraid to swatch my 2025 Hobos! I have a Sterling Ink notebook from her first run and I did actually have feathering but it was only in a couple random spots here and there. So it wasn’t so much a bad batch as a bad sheet or something. And then subsequent batches were better. But I am so with you, Sanzen really only exists because of the fountain pen community, supposedly that was why they didn’t want to let TRP die and spent so much money getting the formula and machines right. I was always willing to accept a little ghosting and bleed-through to showcase ink properties. But if fountain pen inks are flat and feathering why not just spend the same amount or even less on planners and journals that at least don’t bleed. It’s tough to settle when even CVS and Walmart are able to source paper that doesn’t bleed.

[@lillabjornco]

I totally understand why you'd be a little nervous! 😅If you do happen to be apart of the "bad batch" club like myself, I've found that the Uni Jetstream ballpoint pen, Pilot Frixion Knock Zone, and a couple fountain pen inks (De Atramentis, Platinum Carbon) are holding up okay. But, you're totally right! We shouldn't have to sacrifice which utensils we're using when there are planners at half the cost without this issue. Have you tried any of the TRP alternatives I mentioned? I'm curious to hear everyone's experience 🥰

[@TheSmdl]

A lady in a FB group contacted Hobonichi and posted their reply. It’s not good. It was a lengthy response to essentially say inconsistencies are to be expected. So… good luck!

[@lillabjornco]

That’s so disappointing!! Would you happen to have the link to the response? I’d love to see 😇

[@jaquelinemythril2602]

If anyone really wants OG TRP paper planners, W222 saved their batch and is using it for their 2025 planners!

[@jaquelinemythril2602]

*and notebooks!

[@lillabjornco]

No way!! That’s awesome news 🥳 Is the batch blended? (some planners are new TRP, some old TRP) or are they all made with the old paper? Wouldn’t want to risk getting another one from the bad batch 🤣🤣

[@jaquelinemythril2602]

@lillabjornco she talks about it on their pre-order reveal video. It sounds like it will all be OG TRP, but I am willing to bet they will 100% let people know if that changes.

[@arguchik]

But what does "OG TRP" mean? I know the literal words, but there are actually 3 - and now it look slike 4 - different versions of TRP. "OG TRP" to me, means the original, very first TRP, made for decades by Tomoegawa. Their original machine broke down, so they started making TRP on a "new" machine, and most people call that "new TRP." Still made by Tomoegawa, but greatly inferior. Then Tomoegawa sold the brand to Sanzen, which started making their version of the paper (probably the same formula, but a different machine than either "old TRP" or "new TRP" made by Tomoegawa) - called TRP-S - which was better than "new TRP" but still not as good as "old TRP." Now it sounds like there's a new TRP-S. So when you say "OG TRP," which one do you mean, and which one does W222 mean?

[@lillabjornco]

@@jaquelinemythril2602 That's amazing, thank you so much for letting me know 🥰

[@rinl.6924]

first off... I know everyone is upset. so trust me when i say i don't want to offend with the obvious. THIS IS NOT A DO BETTER ISSUE ... and I personally do not get why people are all Pikachu shocked by this. The old paper formula no longer exist because ... THE MATURE TREES HAVE ALL BEEN HARVESTED. So production had to slow down drastically and the formula had to be modified in order to preserve what they have for future production and regrowth. Now, I do not think they had time to formulate it for the demand so a substandard paper was released as an alternative. There has been an increase in the demand for the old formula because people are now "educated" on paper types and have set a demand for the paper WORLDWIDE when back 10 years ago, there was not as large of a worldwide demand. Not only is it one or two companies using that paper formula but now over 100 companies demanding the paper over the past 20 years. This isn't a quality check issue, this is trying to preserve the natural resources that they have for future production. It is a renewable resource but the supply could not meet the demand so they had to pivot. In Japan, Hobonichi might sell one planner per customer, now with the global reach on average customers are purchasing 2-3 planners or notebooks.That is a crap tonne of paper and a crap tonne of trees. Remember this paper is not made with recycled resources, this is made with newly harvested trees. We have to adapt, thats it.

[@lillabjornco]

This is a very interesting! I have only ever heard that Tomoegawa stopped production due to their outdated machinery and the costs surrounding that. I've also only heard that when Sanzen took over, their adjustments to the paper were attributed to the changes in production, rather than a shortage of raw materials. No doubt that expanding to international markets increased demand, but I haven't seen anywhere that the mature trees have all been harvested? 🤔I do really hope they are prioritizing sustainability though! Is there an article where I can read more about that? 😇

[@syddlinden8966]

And planner hopping is not helping that issue. People buying 2 and 4 planners are only stressing that resource system more severely. Where this part of the equation comes in, it is an overconsumption issue.

[@radiantgale]

​@@lillabjornco I think JapanesePaperPlace is a good place to start if you want to know Japanese paper as it's a Japanese paper wholesaler. Gampi is the problem iirc, it's what gives the smoothness and sheen, as well as durability, bleed and feather resistance even while thin. Japanese paper tend to use virgin resources, and with the gampi being resistant to cultivation, over harvesting has been an issue as well as climate change. Dunno if Tomoe paper would use primarily gampi, but if it was a supplemental part of the blend, they might have moved away from gampi. With increased demands and supply low, gampi is pretty expensive, so maybe the formula changed due to it.

[@lillabjornco]

@@syddlinden8966 I completely agree! Overconsumption is definitely something I want to talk more about on my channel 💓

[@lillabjornco]

@@radiantgale Thank you so much for sharing this info! I will read up, and hopefully discuss in another video 😇

[@OktoberJournal]

I think I lucked out, because my Weeks Mega is holding up my pens/markers pretty well. But it's a bummer that lots of planners are affected by the issue!

[@lillabjornco]

Ahh I’m so glad you weren’t affected!! Did you order your Mega straight from Hobonichi? 😇

[@OktoberJournal]

@@lillabjornco nope, I ordered it from a Dutch store that carries Hobonichi!

[@lillabjornco]

Good to know, thank you 🥰

[@Risici_Bloom]

⁠@@OktoberJournalmaybe a previous year? Or is it dated 2025?

[@OktoberJournal]

@@Risici_Bloom it's from 2025, the gray weeks mega

[@TheKoffeeVerse]

Makes me glad I prefer Kokuyo planners. Sucks that they've messed up the papers though.

[@lillabjornco]

I love my Jibun Techo Days, I was just looking for a planner that incorporated the nestled weeks as well -- such a shame we can't have it all haha! Have you purchased your Jibun Techo for 2025? Is the paper still just as good? 🥰

[@TheKoffeeVerse]

@@lillabjornco I got my days but i haven't done a pen test. I can do that next week

[@lillabjornco]

@@TheKoffeeVerse Ahh thank you Beth! I'm thinking I might have to grab a JT Days again if the paper in my PaperTess really gets to me 😪

[@MyMagicalPlanner]

My comparison of the Hobonichi Cousin and Sterling Ink went up today as well so I'm glad to see your view point as well. Thanks for looking further into this issue more deeply. As far as I can tell it's all of the Tomoe River paper from this year my guess is that those that have "good" paper have paper that was produced the previous year.

[@lillabjornco]

Thanks for letting me know, I will be sure to check it out! I think you're right -- it's such a shame! How did your Hobonichi/SI do this year? 😇

[@airyelf7]

I’m having a Sterling Ink A5 with feathering and bleed issues 😢 I’m very discouraged and not sure, will this be the normal from now on or is just a bad batch this year? Cannot use fountain pens in that planner.

[@strange144]

@@airyelf7 i'm honestly kind of relieved it's all the paper because something like this could ruin a small business if it was just Papertess. I have a Papertess and a Twines and Paper on the way. I assume they're both gonna have the "bad" paper. I know it's not their fault of course!

[@lillabjornco]

Oh no! I am so sorry to hear you are also experiencing feathering and bleed through issues 😢 At this point, it’s looking like it’s a bad batch, but I’m not sure of the specifics. Since nobody knows which products were affected, purchasing another would be a gamble.

[@airyelf7]

@@lillabjornco I bought a wonderland222. I saw in their video that for 2025 they still use the old paper. Is last paper, they still had some stock. Planner peace is suddenly less of an issue. Paper peace is more hard to fix 🎭😃🥹

[@vanessaburling5832]

Thank you for sharing, it’s my first time using Hobonichi and seeing all the comments about the bleed through. These planners are not cheap and I love fountain pens and don’t want to now start writing in pencil🙈 everything in life changes and not always for the better.

[@lillabjornco]

So glad you found this helpful! They are definitely not cheap 🥲 It is too funny you mentioned writing in pencil, because I actually considered that as a "solution" to this problem. I really don't want to buy another planer 😪

[@teresaslaughter1546]

I'm going to use my hobonichi planners, but I was thinking about the cost and making changes. We pay a lot of money to have planners with tomoe river paper. Of course, things can happen, but I will be watching to see how the companies handle this matter. I didn't know about the 47 gsm either 🤔

[@lillabjornco]

I completely agree! Many of us save up to buy our planners -- they ain't cheap 😅 If this isn't remedied, I'm thinking I won't be purchasing a TRP planner in the future 😔

[@deniseplasse5126]

The problem with this paper problem is it’s not a uniform thing. I purchased 4 planners from Sterling Ink, and only 1 of them is bad. But it’s REALLY bad! And they were all the ‘same’ planner … same cover, same non gilded.

[@lillabjornco]

Totally agree! It's like, I can't rely on any brand that's using trp because it will vary planner to planner! So sorry to hear one of your SI planners is no good 😪

[@deniseplasse5126]

@@lillabjornco its scary as sh*t because its not consistent even in the bad. It puts every single maker at risk of having poor quality paper in the planner. And how do we know if it’s the WHOLE planner and not just a few sheets that just so happens to be the last test sheet. I do not believe the Sanzen is a bad product, as I have had some pretty amazing experience up to date on the product. This is a complete shocker.

[@lillabjornco]

I’ve been hearing some wacky things, like the bleed through is only on one side of the page, or it’s only towards the bottom half of the page. The inconsistencies run so deep it’s crazy 😅🫠

[@eleanorsweeney6808]

Same thing for me, 3 planners, 2 planner booklets, 2 booklets and 1 notebook. My A5 so far has had feathering and bleed through. It’s ugly. I’ve also noticed something different the paper doesn’t like the sticky notes that I used last year. So I’ll try to find some less sticky kinds? I thought it was maybe the weather 😂 I hope it I the weather for everyone’s sake, it’s warped most pages. I feel for the smaller companies especially when they are trying to expand their product line.

[@deniseplasse5126]

@@lillabjornco so its sounding like we are all out of luck then. No one can afford to replace everyone’s planners because of bad paper. So where do those of us in the fountain pen community go? I switched to the Tomoe River BECAUSE of fountain pens, and now I have spent hundreds of dollars on planners that I am now going to have to buy new cheap ball point crap pens. That outta inspire me to work in my planner….NOT! (I already struggle to stick to it.) 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@DL-idk]

Is it just a bad batch or are we seeing the slow decline of TRP? First the broken old machine and the discontinue of the old TRP. And then huge quality drop of the sanzen paper. This is disheartening and very worrying. 😟

[@lillabjornco]

Such a good point!! If the right changes aren't made, I don't see TRP being a good planner-paper choice 😔

[@rinl.6924]

they are running out of the natural resource. this is virgin pulp harvest (i.e. no recycled paper pulp). the supply has suffered to the demand for quite sometime and they are trying to pivot and find different formulations to be equivalent to the older stock. will take time (7-10 years for reforesting) but chances are they will never resort to the old formula. it took well over 100 years for them to get that formula ... it will take some time for them to create an alternative.

[@thestationeryjunkie]

I didn't have this issue with my 2025 Hobo weeks. It really has to be the batches. But so far almost all the videos and Reddit posts I saw have the same issue as yours. I'm coming up with a video comparing Bachuan paper to TRP soon. Also if I may suggest, perhaps you can put your alternative list in the description as well so people can peruse longer. 😊

[@lillabjornco]

Yeah it seems like a big group of us! Apparently, Bachuan paper is the Chinese translation of Tomoe River paper (I literally just found this out haha 🤣). Will do! Thanks for the suggestion 🥰

[@ashlynarmstrong9538]

Cosmo air light, Rhodia, and Clairefontaine are awesome papers! With cosmo air light, just make sure you don’t have oily hands or have just lotioned your hands.

[@ashlynarmstrong9538]

Oh! And Plotter Paper is phenomenal! It’s almost as thin as TRP but made by Midori.

[@lillabjornco]

I have yet to try Cosmo Air light, but I really want to!! ☺ Thanks for sharing!

[@Korynith]

CAL has been discontinued, unfortunately.

[@lillabjornco]

@@Korynith Noooo omg!

[@CraftyKrystal]

You are definitely allowed to say that. It is not acceptable. So wild that this is happening!

[@lillabjornco]

Thank you for your support! I was a little nervous about how this video would be taken, so I'm glad you agree ☺💖

[@missfl0werstar]

Thank you for this, I hope Sanzen comes forth soon because this paper is NOT as advertised. I've been a TRP used for almost a decade and the 2025 paper is a joke. (Just pen tested my PTD A6 and Hobo Weeks and got abysmal results with some pens. I'll change my use of them but I wouldn't have to.)

[@lillabjornco]

I am so glad you agree! You are so right, it's not as advertised 🥲 I also just think, many of us save up to buy our planners and can't afford to just purchase a replacement if the paper is bad. So disappointing 😔

[@angelagioia5211]

Considering the cost of my Hobonichi Cousin for 2025 ($100 here in Australia) this is definitely not good enough. 😠 Hobonichi may need to consider changing the paper they use. Moleskine need to do the same imo.If they don't they're going to start losing a lot of customers.

[@lillabjornco]

Totally agree! Moleskine is known for their unreliable paper, I'd hate to see Hobonichi be the same 😬

[@geraldinemariegonzales4985]

thank you for sharing! you are definitely not alone, the English Cousin 2025 I got from Hobonichi also has a lot of bleeding on the other side of the page, considering I use mostly Japanese fine and Western extra fine fountain pens. Hopefully Sanzen does something about this inconsistency in their paper quality

[@lillabjornco]

Ugh, that must be so frustrating, especially since you use such fine fps. Totally agree 🤞🤞

[@Coasterdude02149]

Why was Tomoe River discontinued in the first place? I was in the fountain pen world from 2016-2020 and got away for a bit. When I got back in, & started into calligraphy, a friend of mine said hold on to you Tomoe River paper, you can't get it anymore. The new stuff is not at all the same. I have a full pack of loose A4 and a mostly full pack of A5 paper of the original TR and I'm afraid to use it now.. I got my 2025 Hobonichi Techo a few weeks ago but obviously won't be starting it until January.

[@lillabjornco]

It was discontinued because of a switch in manufacturers. The original manufacturer, Tomoewaga, stopped production because of the cost of machinery upkeep (amongst other production challenged). Sanzen is the new manufacturer, and their paper was first released this year 2024. Although it was not as good as the old TRP, it was still resistant to bleed through and feathering. The newest release of TRP-S paper for 2025 has all of these new problems (feathering, bleed through). So, it sounds like you have a lovely batch of the Tomoewaga TRP! Keep it safe 😉

[@Coasterdude02149]

@@lillabjornco Thanks for the reply. That makes sense, cost of upkeep is a big factor. Very sad tho. I just got thr 2025 Hobonichi Techo and opened it to check, the pages feel like regular paper as opposed to the sort of 'onion skin' feel of the original TR. I will save my original TR for special calligraphy projects. I wish I had bought more at the time. Never expected all of this to happen :(

[@lillabjornco]

@@Coasterdude02149 'Onion skin' is such a creative an accurate way to put it! I know your impulse is to save the paper for something special, but don't forget to enjoy it! Anything you write is worthy of the good paper 😇💞 I'm hoping to test more inks to see which ones do okay with the new paper -- so far De Atramentis Document ink and Platinum Carbon ink seem to be doing okay!

[@ScientistPlans]

Oh😮 i’ll do a pen test too. My pens are all thinner than yours but want to see how they perform in this “2025 batch”. Thanks so much for sharing!

[@lillabjornco]

Omg please! I would love to hear how your test goes 😇💞 so glad you enjoyed!

[@dr.d723]

Thank you for letting us know about this. I have ordered my planners that have Sanzen TR papers, but have not received them yet. So I will have to contact them to see if they have run tests on the paper.

[@lillabjornco]

So glad you found this helpful! Let me know how it goes 😇

[@lalaiana2179]

I was having issues with this paper since the 2024 batch that came out. (Specifically, Hobonichi and Sterling ink) Ugly feathering and bleed through on every page. None of my planner supplies that worked for my 2023 TRP paper products (Hobonichi) were working well with that batch of paper. I only use fine/ extra fine fountain pens so seeing that, even when using the smallest nib size, was ridiculous. All I could use were my gel pens which was disappointing. Not that I blame the brands, they're only using what is available. However, TRP planners are too expensive to have paper quality no different than copy paper now. I understand that paper quality has gone down due to known issues, but I feel they should properly price this new paper since it no longer holds its previous standards.

[@lillabjornco]

I completely agree with you! Thanks for sharing 😊

[@luxeletterlove]

i tested all of my hobonichi planners. I have 5 from hobonichi 2025 and three from 2024. as far as 2025 goes, my yumi kitagishi weeks bleeds a lot more than my liberty fabrics weeks. my 2025 five year is awful. i’ll only be able to use a uni jet stream. my 2025 day free avec is perfection. I have a hypothesis that it’s the old paper. nothing bled through and my fountain pen inks are glorious on it. it’s crazy how even within the various 2025 products the paper quality is so markedly different. my 2024 hobonichi products all perform better (excepting the 2025 day free, which, like I said, I think has the old TRP paper).

[@lillabjornco]

It is crazy how much it varies by product! I'm happy to hear that at least one of yours was perfection 😉 Thanks for sharing!

[@plannercoven]

Stationery sleuthing to the max!

[@lillabjornco]

Haha literally 🤣🤣 Nancy Drew, but make it stationery 🤩

[@pwassonchat]

I've been told that Bachuan (the paper used in Kinbor planners) is just the Chinese name for TRP (same characters as Tomoegawa, Chinese reading). If this is confirmed, it's not an alternative, they're likely going to have the same issue.

[@lillabjornco]

Oh that’s really interesting! Let me know if you find out for certain 😇 my 2025 Kinbor hasn’t had any issues, so maybe they used an old batch? 🤔

[@elinmor89]

​@@lillabjorncoI bought Kinbor for the first time for 2025. Bought weeks size and a5 size, did pen test. Not any problems with mine 😊

[@lillabjornco]

Yayyy!! I love Kinbor, and I’m so happy to hear their A5 is performing well too ☺️ thanks for sharing 💞

[@DL-idk]

Yes, bachuan is just the Chinese prononciation for tomoe river paper. They are probably still using the old stock.

[@lillabjornco]

@@DL-idk Time to stock up!!

[@user-qk5od5fq1j]

Read the article they posted on their website about this. TRP-S won't ever be the same as the TRP, and that's okay to me. It's not like Hobonichi and Sanzen won't look into this issue; I trust that they will and then address it reasonably. Inconsistencies are inevitable imo. It might get better in time as Sanzen continues to improve the paper. Peeps expecting the TRP-S to perform in the same way as the TRP are honestly asking for the impossible.

[@lillabjornco]

I totally understand that TRP-S can not be the same as TRP, I do however wish that the 2025 TRP-S was the same as the 2024 TRP-S. Considering they're both Sanzen, I don't see why it couldn't be. The feathering and bleed through from 2024 to 2025 has made the paper significantly harder to use (both Sanzen).

[@user-qk5od5fq1j]

@@lillabjornco Hobonichi just released a statement addressing this issue (while at the same time not). To summarize, the paper is working as intended. Personally on the fence with their response. Quite a lot of drama from them this year.

[@lillabjornco]

You’re kidding 🤣 Dang that’s quite the response haha

[@acompanyofnotes]

just found your account because you were talking about the paper, thank you for this comparison! i was happy that my cousin didn't bleed through at first, but for some reason my lamy feathers quite badly on the paper and then bleeds and you just could not write on both sides of the paper like that! it also seems to be worse towards the bottom of the pages for me (only tested 2 though, i'm curious how the rest will be). i'm definitely going to be looking at ink reviews to see what works well with this paper batch, but i agree that this is a manufacturing issue and should be addressed. i was pretty disappointed with the 2024 paper too, but this feels so brittle and the more i test it, the more i find it lacking...

[@lillabjornco]

I am so glad you stumbled upon my channel, thanks for watching 🥰That is so interesting that you noticed it being worse towards the bottom of the pages! For me, I find the back of every page to be worse. From my ink tests, so far the De Atramentis Document ink, and the Platinum Carbon ink have been holding up okay. The Kaweco ink specifically in purple seems to be doing okay too, but the Kaweco red feathers and bleeds like crazy! So frustrating 😪

[@acompanyofnotes]

@@lillabjornco i think i need to do more testing, i haven't tried writing on the backside yet 😆 that was the side i had issues with in the 2024 planner, but in the sense that my pens would act up and skip or write with difficulty (first it clogged up my kaweco f nib, which i chucked it up to nib issues i'd heard the brand having), but then i saw i had issues with all my f and mf nibs and even some medium ones. i haven't heard anyone complain about that though, so maybe it's just me 😅 i wonder if they'll ever find a way to make the old machines work or whatever it is they need to do for the original paper to be produced again 😮‍💨

[@lillabjornco]

Whatttt?? That’s crazy! For real, petition to get the machines fixed 😋😋

[@planwithkellye2926]

I agree the 2025 Hobo hon I purchased had so much bleed through, and I’ve never experienced that before. Really sucks that changing planner brands might not be a solution for trp lovers 😢

[@lillabjornco]

So sorry to hear that! I understand your frustration and it really does suck 😪

[@claireg.5494]

People normally buy hobonichi because of the quality of paper they produced. Their price it quite expensive since they use fountain pen friendly paper. Knowing that their paper for 2025 really sucks! A nice move from me is that i didn't buy hobonichi for this coming 2025. I choose kinbor planner undated. Save me quite a lot of money, plu's fountain pen friendly too.🥰💓

[@lillabjornco]

I adore Kinbor! Smart choice 😇🥰

[@creativetidbits753]

My sterling ink passport notebook works great with my fountain pens. My sterling ink pocket size notebooks (graph one and lined one) the ink feathers horribly. No bleeding but feathering is horrible.

[@lillabjornco]

Crazy how they can differ so much! I am so sorry 😪

[@JoeyTrejo10]

I chose to go with a different planner this year, but I would have been so upset having paid for Hobonichi prices because you are supposed to be able to use your fountain pens without major issue, and then this. I just got the Kinbor Weekly planner and it holds up much better than these pen tests - I paid a little over a $1.00. Such a bummer!

[@lillabjornco]

Exactly! I chose PaperTess (also uses TRP) because of the nestled horizontal weeklies, but layout doesn't matter if I can't even use my favourite fountain pens 🥲 I also purchased a Kinbor this year instead of a Hobonichi and it is fabulous so far 💝

[@tracybergamin6305]

I may be lucky, I have a Sterling Ink N1 dated 2025 and my fountain pens are fine. One pen (similar ro a Clena) is bleeding through occassionally, I will just stop using that one. I have an older Hobo 5 year and I can understand how the new owners are devastated if the paper is bad.

[@lillabjornco]

Yay! I am happy to hear your planners seem to be unaffected 🥳 But yeah, it is disappointing for sure 😪

[@metapixusion]

im so sad because i just found planner peace with the Hobonichi a6 weekly supplement + day free. So im hoping they fix it. T.T

[@lillabjornco]

Oh nooo! Right after finding planner peace too? 😪 I really hope they fix it too!

[@sarahmartinezjournals]

This was so helpful, thank you! I still need to test my 2025 Hobonichi cousin. Hopefully my go-to gel pen is still ok on it.

[@lillabjornco]

I'm so glad you found this helpful! Please let me know how it goes -- gl gl 😇🤞🤞

[@vesper7750]

the end was so cute lol

[@lillabjornco]

Haha I got a little nervous 😅🤣

[@teaforthesoul]

Wonderland222 are still using the old paper, not sanzen btw!!!

[@lillabjornco]

I've been hearing that! Thanks for letting me know 😊💖💖

[@sunshineissexy]

Machine #9 as clarification! Not #7

[@janete3143]

I bought more 2024 Hobonichi weeks since it was on sale. I did buy 2025 Hobonichi weeks and A6 Hon but have not done pen tests. So glad 2024 weeks were still available. Paper is more important to me than covers.

[@lillabjornco]

I completely agree! Are you planning on just changing the dates in the old 2024s? 😄

[@joannewalker6257]

I’m so sad that my 2025 mega and mother weeks both have bleed through that will prevent me using some of my favourite fountain pen inks that I have used all year in my 2024 planners, I won’t be jumping to buy in 2026 until I see feedback about the paper

[@lillabjornco]

I am right there with you! Definitely learned my lesson (again) about the dangers of pre-ordering haha 🤣😪

[@joannewalker6257]

@@lillabjornco I need midori md to make a weeks!

[@lillabjornco]

YES!!!!

[@alexplansnz]

Omg that last one - it's almost like there's no coating on the paper!!!

[@lillabjornco]

Isn’t it crazy?! I’m like gaslighting myself into thinking it’s fine? But it’s really not 😅😅

[@teresaslaughter1546]

That is how I felt when I flipped through my 2025 hobonichi cousin, and in the 5 year😮 the paper seemed more flat. I couldn't figure it out. You're right!

[@lillabjornco]

So crazy!!

[@Vicki-Z]

Are these bad batches on her products only? Are there problems with the "real" Hobonichi products?

[@lillabjornco]

Unfortunately, these bad batches affect every Tomoe River Paper product (including Hobonichi, Sterling Ink, Aura Estelle, PaperTess Designs, etc.)

[@anya425]

Very interesting. Im off to swatch in my new 2025 weeks...

[@lillabjornco]

Let me know how it goes! 😄

[@anya425]

@@lillabjornco I will

[@lennoxraynewood2741]

Hate to be the voice of reason but the reality is these books were designed for the use of ballpoint pen or pencil and not for the use of Gel pens, fountain pens, ink brush pens markers, etc and as nice as its been to be able to use them in the past and troubling to see the amount of people feeling ripped off because of this new brand of paper being used I recall their being issued a statement about having to switch to a new paper manufacturer because the old one went out of business or something along those lines. Normally when something like this happens things change and theirs really nothing that can be done about it except to learn to live with it since their paper will be used in all notebooks/planners of this type unless someone opens a paper manufacturer that can make the old type of paper once again.

[@lillabjornco]

Tomoe river paper was created with fountain pen users in mind, and has been the gold standard for years so it's disappointing this is no longer the case 😔They switched manufacturers from Tomoewaga to Sanzen due to the cost of machinery upkeep. However, this switch happened a while ago, and the new paper TRP-S was released at the start of 2024. The new paper TRP-S performed just fine in 2024 (what you'd expect from a manufacturer change), but for 2025 (same manufacturer), there is loads of bleed through and feathering. That's why people are so upset 😪

[@CassandraStirling]

Ive had bleed through in my 2024 Cousin when doing fountain pen drawings, which was very disappointing. My 2025 Hon appears to be okay for my ink test, but i worry it will be hit or miss when I'm on a specific day.

[@lillabjornco]

I'm happy to hear your 2025 Hon is okay so far! 💖You likely got the good batch, I wouldn't worry too much 😉

[@syddlinden8966]

Yeah, people need to be contacting the company and asking them to get on the manufacturer about it. They promised they were gonna do their best to have the new paper at the standard of the old and something was neglected or missed here.

[@lillabjornco]

Totally agree with you! Thanks for sharing 😇💓

[@lillabjornco]

For all of my Sterling Ink lovelies, you can find a great paper comparison over at @mymagicalplanner here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/epnOf3R8r9Fmgbcsi=WGl4BvNhXZ7eQ-N1

[@pikopikozu2]

Oh i am SAT

[@lillabjornco]

Stop this is so funny 🤣 Get your popcorn 😉

[@blakeley-shea]

Awww you’re so sweet!🥰🫶🏼 Happy to help anytime 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

[@lillabjornco]

It really was such a big help, so thank you! 🥰💕

[@blakeley-shea]

And feel free to use the photos or videos I sent you if you’d like🥰 🫶🏼